1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording material supply apparatus and method, and more specifically to an image recording material supply apparatus and method for automatically supplying a sheet-form image recording material such as a press plate or a film loaded on a cassette.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, there are image recording apparatuses for directly recording an image by irradiating an image recording material with laser light. Image recording material supply apparatuses for automatically supplying an image recording material to an image recording apparatus have been developed. In the following, a specific description will be given using an example in which a press plate such as a PS plate (Presensitized Plate) or a thermal plate is used as the image recording material and such a press plate is supplied from a press plate supply apparatus to an image recording apparatus. A press plate used in such an image recording apparatus includes a support layer and an image recording layer. Since the image recording layer is easily damaged, a very close attention is required when removing the press plate.
Press plates which are to be supplied to the press plate supply apparatus are accommodated in a cassette. A plurality of press plates are loaded on the cassette in the state where the support layer is at the upper surface. In order to prevent friction between the press plates loaded on the cassette, interleaves are occasionally inserted alternately with the press plates. For example, a press plate supply apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-247489 includes a movable arm or the like having an adsorption plate for adsorbing a press plate. The adsorption plate adsorbs and thus secures the support layer (at the upper surface) of a press plate by a negative pressure, and in this state, the movable arm moves the adsorption plate to a predetermined position. In this manner, the press plate is removed from the cassette and supplied to the image recording apparatus. In the case where the interleaves are also loaded, each time the movable arm or the like removes a press plate from the cassette, a movable adsorption plate for adsorbing an interleaf adsorbs and thus secures the interleaf, and in this state, the movable adsorption plate is moved to a predetermined position. In this manner, the Interleaf is discharged outside the press plate supply apparatus. Specifically, a press plate which is adsorbed and thus held at the support layer thereof by the adsorption plate is inverted upside down such that the supply layer is at the lower surface, and is transported with a leading end thereof directed toward the image recording apparatus.
A cassette which is to be set in the press plate supply apparatus is supplied from a cassette accommodation apparatus and located at a position where the press plates are transportable by the movable arm (press plate transportation position). Among the press plates loaded on the cassette, the press plate at the uppermost position in the cassette is the target of transportation and supply. As shown in FIG. 13, a cassette accommodation apparatus 510 accommodates a plurality of cassettes C1 through C4 respectively at a plurality of accommodation positions which are provided in the form of stages. The cassettes C1 through C4 each have press plates loaded thereon. The user supplements an appropriate press plate in accordance with each of the cassettes C1 through C4 in the cassette accommodation apparatus 510. A cassette having press plates loaded thereon is supplied from the cassette accommodation apparatus 510 to a press plate supply apparatus 500 as follows. First, the cassette is inserted into a lift section 501 provided in the press plate supply apparatus 500, as follows. The lift-section 501 is movable vertically in the directions of arrow Y shown in FIG. 13. The lift section 501 moves to the height of the position of the cassette having the press plates loaded thereon in the cassette accommodation apparatus 510, and the cassette is inserted into the lift section 501 by a horizontal moving mechanism (not shown) for moving the cassette horizontally, in the direction of arrow X1 in FIG. 13. The press plate supply apparatus 500 moves the cassette inserted into the lift section 501 to a press plate transportation position, and then transports the press plates loaded on the cassette at the press plate transportation position to the image recording apparatus.
When the cassette in the press plate supply apparatus 500 becomes out of press plates or when a different type of press plates need to be supplied to the image recording apparatus, the lift section 501 moves to a cassette retraction position (corresponding to the stage where there is no cassette in the cassette accommodation apparatus 510) in the press plate supply apparatus 500, and the cassette in the lift section 501 is retracted to the cassette accommodation apparatus 510 by the horizontal moving mechanism in the direction of arrow X2 in FIG. 13. Then, the lift section 501 moves to the height of the position of a cassette, having the press plates to be transported next, in the cassette accommodation apparatus 510, and the cassette is inserted into the lift section 501 by the horizontal moving mechanism in the direction of arrow X1 in FIG. 13. The press plate supply apparatus 500 moves the cassette inserted into the lift section 501 to the press plate transportation position, and then transports the new press plates loaded on the cassette at the press plate transportation position to the image recording apparatus.
As an example, a procedure of replacing the cassette C1 located at the press plate transportation position in the press plate supply apparatus 500 with the cassette C4 will be described. First, the lift section 501 having the cassette C1 therein moves from the press plate transportation position to a cassette retraction position L1 in the press plate supply apparatus 500. Thus, the cassette C1 is located at the cassette retraction position L1. Next, the cassette C1 is moved from the cassette retraction position L1 horizontally in the direction of arrow X2 to the cassette accommodation apparatus 510 by the horizontal moving mechanism. When the cassette C1 is completely retracted from the lift section 501, the lift section 501 moves from the cassette retraction position L1 in the direction of arrow Y to the height at which the cassette C4 is accommodated in the cassette accommodation apparatus 510 (cassette retraction position L4). Then, the cassette C4 is moved from the cassette accommodation apparatus 510 to the cassette retraction position L4 horizontally in the direction of arrow X1 by the horizontal moving mechanism, and is inserted into the lift section 501. The lift section 501 having the cassette C4 therein moves from the cassette retraction position L4 to the press plate transportation position. Thus, the cassette C4 is located at the press plate transportation position.
As described above, for replacing a cassette in the press plate supply apparatus with another cassette, the cassette located in the lift section is first retracted into the cassette accommodation apparatus and then the new cassette is inserted into the lift section. Therefore, the press plate supply apparatus requires a long time for the cassette replacement operation, which is at least a sum of the time for retracting the cassette and the time for inserting the cassette. Moreover, during the cassette replacement operation, press plates cannot be transported from the press plate supply apparatus to the image recording apparatus. In the case where the cassette replacement operation requires a long time, the press plate supply apparatus is at a stop for a long time.